The 2026 MH NFL All-Strong Team

New York Jets 2026. Getty Images. Leanne Mattern/MH Illustration.1 min readThis story is part of Men's Health's NFL Strong 2026 package, a series of stories that explore how athletes build and maintain strength for the ultra-physical game of football. Read all the stories here.PART OF THE beauty of each NFL season is how football reminds us just how versatile strength can be. Because yes, being “strong” can mean dominating the bench press and squat. But to truly apply that strength, you need other traits, too, like the hard-earned spinal mobility of our cover guy, Pats QB Drake Maye, and the hip flexor strength of Rams RB Blake Corum, and the explosive strength that lineman Tristan Wirfs showcases every time he does a 365-pound power clean.All these strengths (and more!) collide with each other in every single NFL game. And there’s no one single way to train to build all this speed and power and athleticism.This year’s MH Strong squad is full of muscle – and plenty of training tips that can help you level-up your own workouts, too.OFFENSEQuarterbackDrake MayePatriots, 6’4’’, 235 poundsSure, the MH cover star has muscle, but he’s also proof that strength is most useful on the football field when paired with mobility. Maye added roughly 10 pounds to his frame this offseason while still focusing drills that kept shoulders and spine loose. He used that same blend of skills to finish among the top 5 QBs in both rushing and passing yards in 2025.Running BackBlake CorumRams, 5’8’’, 202 poundsFew players can match the training highlights of Corum, who routinely does jumps from a Bulgarian split squat position and often does high-knee runs into a resistance band to build sprint strength. He backs it up on the field, too: Last season, his churned out 5.1 yards per carry, sixth-best in the NFL.Running BackDerrick HenryRavens, 6’2’’, 252 poundsSo much for running backs declining by age 30. Henry, now 32, racked up 1,595 rushing yards last season, the third-highest total of his career. He relies on a variety of moves to stay healthy, doing proven performance moves like trap-bar deadlifts and mixing in Bulgarian split squats with unstable weights, too.Wide ReceiverDavante AdamsRams, 6’1’’, 204 poundsAdams relies on classic exercises in the weight room, supplementing that work with full-speed route-running on the field. The approach works: He led the NFL in TD catches in 2025, his 13th year in the league.Wide ReceiverAmon-Ra St. BrownLions, 6’, 202 poundsSt. Brown’s racked up four straight seasons of 100-plus catches and missed just two games in his five-year career. The key to that durability: An old-school bodybuilding-style training regimen that includes high-rep sets of moves like biceps curls and leg extensions (and a hearty helping of heavy squats, too).Tight EndKenyon SadiqJets, 6’3’’, 241 poundsThe Jets’ 2026 first-round pick has it all, blending a massive, muscular frame with lineman-level strength (26 bench-press reps at 225 pounds) and sprinter speed (4.39 40-yard dash). Oh, and he can jump, too (43.5-inch vertical).Offensive LineTristan WirfsBuccaneers, 6’5’’, 320 poundsFew athletes in any sport can match the explosive power of Wirfs, who hang-cleaned 365 pounds with ease earlier this summer and once jumped directly from pool to deck despite being submerged in four feet of water.Offensive LineLane JohnsonEagles, 6’6’’, 325 poundsThe six-time Pro Bowler blends size, athleticism, and real-world strength (he’s done farmer’s walks with more than 700 pounds – and he loves the move for grip strength and total-body conditioning). He’s also the ultimate gym rat, constantly evolving his training methods. His newest toy: The Sorinex X-Factor, for total-body strength and power development.Offensive LineDion DawkinsBills, 6’5’’, 320 poundsBuffalo’s ultra-powerful left tackle spent the summer dropping more than 45 pounds to get to his lightest playing weight since his rookie season, but he hasn’t sacrificed power (he benched 405 pounds while training with Lane Johnson in June). He gets plenty of sweat outside the weight room too: Dawkins loves boxing workouts.Offensive LineAaron BrewerDolphins, 6’1’’, 295 poundsSince becoming a starter four years ago, Brewer has missed just one game, and he spends plenty of time each summer training agility and quickness. One ultra-athletic move: Brewer will kneel on his shins, then explosively jump from that position onto his feet, then jump directly onto a box, an exercise that requires explosive hip and glute power.Offensive LineQuinn MeinerzBroncos, 6’3’’, 320 poundsMeinerz, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, is proof that you can train anywhere. He benched 225 pounds 33 times on his Pro Day in 2021, has done CrossFit workouts – and spent the offseasons of his pre-NFL years often training outside with trees and lumber (and a few weights, too).DEFENSEDefensive LineMyles GarrettRams, 6’4’’, 272 poundsA fixture since we started doing MH Strong All-Pro teams three years ago, Garrett, now 30 years old, is coming off his best season. Garrett’s workouts blend classic strength moves (plenty of squats and bench presses) with explosive exercises done with heavy load (he sometimes does box jumps while holding heavy dumbbells).Defensive LineAidan HutchinsonLions, 6’7’’, 268 poundsHow’s this for resilience? Hutchinson notched a career-high 14.5 sacks last season, just one year after a fractured tibia and fibula led him to miss 12 games. His workout key: Explosive lower-body training with trainer David Lawrence at Meca Strong. Hutchinson also does plenty of upper body maintenance work, too, attacking moves like ring rows and face pulls.Defensive LineWill Anderson, Jr.Texans, 6’4’’, 260 poundsAnderson went viral on social media after a bulked-up photo of him was shared along with the rumor that he had packed on "25 pounds of muscle." He denied that, but Anderson, who once ran a 4.6-second 40, definitely put in work this offseason, training alongside Garrett with veteran trainer Brian Buck.Defensive LineAaron DonaldRams, 6’1’’, 280 poundsAfter a two-year “retirement,” Donald returns to football at age 35 – and he’s definitely worked to stay in shape. Donald, who has 111 career sacks, builds his training around the basics, doing moves like dumbbell presses (with 150 pounds!) and Smith machine RDLs. He focuses on moving the weight fast, which helps maintain explosiveness.Defensive LineDanielle HunterTexans, 6’5’’, 263 poundsHunter entered the league in 2015 with a unique blend of speed (4.57-second 40) and strength (25 bench-press reps at 225), and he just keeps getting better. Last season he exploded for 15 sacks (the second-best total of his career), and he showed up in Houston training camp looking superheroically muscular.LinebackerDemario DavisJets, 6’2’’, 239 poundsIron man linebacker has played at least 16 games in every season since entering the league in 2012, and he’s gradually evolved a workout regimen that keeps him healthy without always lifting heavy weights, integrating pool workouts and weighted vest training. He estimates he spends close to $1 million on his body every year.LinebackerDevin LloydPanthers, 6’3’’, 235 poundsBlends solid speed (4.66 40-yard dash) with strength (25 bench-press reps at 225 pounds), and an athletic lean, 235-pound frame. With his trade to the Carolina Panthers, Lloyd is looking to pick up where he left off, putting in serious offseason work in Florida doing French Contrast training that alternates between heavy lifts and plyometric exercises to build strength and explosive power.Defensive BackCooper DeJeanEagles, 6’, 198 poundsJust how athletic is the Eagles’ 2024 second-round pick? He ran the 40 in 4.43 seconds at his 2024 Pro Day, piled up 93 tackles in his second year in the NFL – and has gone viral several times for highlight packages of his high school dunks.Defensive BackDevon WitherspoonSeahawks, 6’, 185 poundsLeague’s highest-paid cornerback has speed (has run the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds), the strength to hang with top receivers like Garrett Wilson and Ja’Marr Chase, and physicality (70-plus tackles in each of his three pro seasons).Defensive BackDerwin JamesChargers, 6’2’’, 215 poundsUltra-versatile safety was all over the field last season, tying a career-high with three interceptions and scoring a pair of sacks, too. He trains with a mix of techniques, embracing MMA and Olympic lifts, but he still finds time to sharpen bodyweight moves like leglifts, pullups, and dips, too.Defensive BackDerek Stingley Jr.Texans, 6’1’’, 195 poundsStingley, who has 15 career interceptions in four seasons, developed his change-of direction ability and speed partly by training on a non-powered treadmill while growing up. By sprinting forwards, backwards, and laterally on the device, he learned to create powerful force into the ground; that’s translated into explosiveness on the field.SPECIAL TEAMSKickerCameron DickerChargers, 6’1’’, 216 poundsNo, Dicker won’t break bench press records. His training serves the skill set he needs to improve, which means kicking plenty of footballs throughout the week, and when it comes to weights, he keeps it lower-body focused. It’s an approach that’s working: He’s currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history.PunterEthan EvansRams, 6’3’’, 253 poundsNFL’s most jacked punter has squatted 585 for two reps and can deadlift 800. But he doesn’t just lift heavy: This summer, he hit trap bar Romanian deadlift reps with more than 400 pounds, building eccentric glute and hamstring power, too.Player headshot credits: New York Jets 2026. Getty Images.To read other stories in Men's Health's NFL Strong 2026 series, click here.READ MORE